WannnnA knOw abt the UpcominG TechS.. check dis out..
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Monday, 31 December 2012

Samsung Galaxy S4

The upcoming Galaxy S4 from Samsung is already carrying the weight of the whole Android
smartphone world on its shoulders, even though it hasn't been
officially announced yet, and we'd be lucky to see it actually available
within the next six months.

Many are hoping the next flagship phone from Samsung could finally be
the legendary and long-foretold Apple eater first documented in the
book of Genesis. Actually, maybe that's something else. But there's
still much speculation that Samsung could pull something groundbreaking
out of its huge chaebolic hat to vault ahead of the iPhone (some, including a former Apple evangelist, believe the Galaxy S3 already achieved this, but that's another argument).

It could be those fancy, flexible screens Samsung has been teasing for years now,
or maybe even a "folding" screen, but it's all just wild guessing at
this point. That hasn't stopped some folks in Russia from going all out
with the below "render" of a Galaxy S4 that shows an unbelievably thin
phone with a big screen and a laser keyboard dock.

Unless Samsung has suddenly started running their product development
and marketing through Moscow and filming promotional videos with a
MacBook in the background, this seems totally out of left field, but I'd
nonetheless love to see someone make this phone.

In addition, the device was also rumored to be powered by EXYNOS 5440
quad-core processor and would feature a 13 megapixel camera. The report
also stated that the Galaxy S4 would have a chunkier body with 9.1mm
thickness, which is quite thicker than the current Galaxy S3 model that
is only 8.6mm thick.

However, more interesting is the fact that
Galaxy S4 could share the big guy Galaxy Note’s S Pen feature. But the
question is whether the users want an extra piece of technology with the
device.

“The need to look after an extra piece of technology, and
a small and easy-to-loose one at that, might be quite off-putting to
some users,” said a Redmond Pie report.

SamMobile also gave similar views saying: “The biggest question is, will you use the S-PEN? We don’t think so.”

On Wednesday, another SamMobile report said that
it had obtained the first model numbers of Samsung’s new high-end
device -- the Samsung GT-I9500 and GT-I9505 (probably, a LTE version).
Considering that number four is believed to be unlucky in Korea, the
report suggested that the GT-I9500 could be the Galaxy S4 smartphone.

On Thursday, a concept video of the Samsung Galaxy S4 from Rozetked appeared online, highlighting
two exciting features – a very thin form factor with a bigger screen
and a “projected keyboard,” allowing the phone to project an image of a
keyboard on a flat surface and then let the user type using the
projected keys.

Saturday, 29 December 2012

After teasing the HTC Butterfly on its website
a few days ago, HTC yesterday officially unveiled this 5-inch handset
at an event held in Taipei. This smartphone's specifications are similar
to that of the Japan-only HTC J Butterfly and the US-only Droid DNA.

The HTC Butterfly, minus the J, is identical in specifications to
its US and Japanese counterparts, which means that the 5-inch, Super
LCD 3 screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels is featured on
this handset as well. The smartphone comes equipped with a quad-core
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC running at 1.5 GHz and has 2 GB of RAM.
HTC has chosen to endow the Butterfly with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and
it's Sense UI on top. The handset features a 2020 mAh li-polymer
battery that should keep the handset running for quite some time.
However, the company has not stated how long the battery will last, so
there is no official information available on the battery life.

HTC Butterfly with 5-inch 1080p display aiming to set an example for future high-end smartphones

Commenting on the launch of this handset, Chief Executive Peter Chou at HTC said, “We are confident that HTC Butterfly will set a new example for high-end smartphones.”

Here is a quick look at some of the highlighted features of the HTC Butterfly:

5-inch super LCD 3 display with 1080p resolution

3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, DLNA

Bluetooth 4.0 with USB

16 GB internal storage, expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card

MHL

There had been rumours
in the past stating that this HTC device would be called the HTC Deluxe
or the HTC DLX, but it seems HTC has chosen to go keep the branding
consistent across the globe.

As mentioned in the specifications
table above, the handset comes with an 8 megapixel rear camera that has
an aperture value of f/2.0 and features a 26 mm lens. HTC has also
included a range of features like auto focus, LED flash, and a BSI
sensor that can be useful for capturing images in low lit environments.
Another neat feature is that it can capture videos in 1080p, which
allows for full HD video recording. It also comes with a VideoPic
feature where a user can capture 6 megapixel photos while shooting HD
video at the same time. The camera used here also features slow motion
video capture and playback.

As is the case with all HTC smartphones launched in the past year, the HTC Butterfly comes with Dr Dre's Beats Audio drivers.

Friday, 28 December 2012

Regardless of popularity or industry impact, these five devices claim
the best design, the most-compelling features, and the overall most
impressive value among all the hundreds of mainstream tech products
released in 2012. Our hats off to all five.

1. Samsung Galaxy S3, the Android hero
It took years of iPhone dominance and many months of Android market leadership
for a phone with Google's mobile operating system to knock the iPhone
off its pedestal. The Samsung Galaxy S3 won that honor. The GS3 is a
truly global phone, available on nearly every carrier, nearly
everywhere. Its large, vibrant HD display represents a growing class of
phones with broader form factors, and its delicate balance of Android
4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a sharp 8-megapixel camera, 4G LTE or HSPA+ support, and an accessible price make the Galaxy S3 a worldwide hero.

2. iPhone 5, the most anticipated
The drumbeat of aggressive rumors
in the lead-up to the iPhone 5 launch gave the handset a lot to live up
to. Finally released in September, nearly six years after the original
iPhone, this is the iPhone we've been waiting for. The iPhone 5's
anticipated 4G LTE, built-in turn-by-turn directions, and a tall,
featherweight design make it a beauty marred only by subpar maps, which
have improved steadily since the phone's launch.

3. Google Nexus 7, the superior small
tablet
Certainly not the first 7-inch tablet on the market, Google entered the
fray with the Nexus 7 in 2012 and left the competition behind,
struggling to differentiate themselves. The tablet's native, streamlined
Android 4.2 OS -- flexible and open but friendly -- paired with a vivid
1,280x800-pixel-resolution screen and $199 price make it the best small
tablet, period.

4. iPad Mini, the luxury latecomer
The iPad Mini arrived so late to the small-tablet race that the
competition had already left the starting blocks and rounded the bend.
Playing catch-up to the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, and Nook HD
proved difficult for the Mini, especially with a lower-resolution
screen and significantly higher price than the rest. In spite of those
handicaps, Apple's latecomer earns an impressive silver in the tablet
race, thanks to its slighly-wider-than-average screen, fantastically
light weight, and impeccable fit and finish.

5. Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, the new battery benchmark
Of all the high-achieving smartphones, why would CNET choose a phone
from last January for one of our top-5 products of the year? We picked
the Droid Razr Maxx because it reset the bar for battery-life
expectations. In our tests, the Razr Maxx's battery life bested the
closest competitor by nearly 30 percent, and our real-life experiences
with this 4G LTE Android device and its vivid screen keep us brimming
with enthusiasm for the slim phone. Because the Droid Razr Maxx got the
Ice Cream Sandwich OS update in the fall and an HD sibling (the Droid Razr Maxx HD) our recommendations sticks: this is one of the best phones on the market.

Thursday, 27 December 2012

Microsoft says Windows Phone
app reviewers will be working into the holidays to deal with a flood of
new app submissions to the Windows Phone Store, but at least one major
company isn't buying into the Windows Phone hype. “Since the launch of
Windows Phone 8 in late October, we are experiencing a sustained 40
percent increase in Windows Phone app submissions,” the company said in a
blog post.
Microsoft says it will close on December 24 and 25, and January 1 but
remain open the rest of the holiday season to keep its approval
turnaround time to five days for app submissions.
While Microsoft's announcement was directed at app developers, it
suggests Windows Phone users can expect to see more apps hitting the
Windows Phone Store in the coming weeks. That does not appear to be same
story for the Windows Store, Microsoft's tablet and PC app store built
into Windows 8. The software maker said in a separate blog post
that the Windows Store team would have a reduced staff between December
22 and January 1. Windows 8 does not appear to be experiencing the same
flood of apps as the Windows Phone Store supposedly is. The Windows Store app count surpassed 20,000 in late November.

It's not clear if the
Windows Phone Store is experiencing a higher volume of app submissions
because of an effort by Microsoft to reach out to developers or if more
developers are willing to bet on Windows Phone than the fledgling tablet
interface on Windows 8.
Whatever the reason for the Windows Phone app uptick, we'll have to
see if the apps will be high-quality popular apps from services like
Facebook and Dropbox or just more drek such as fart sounds, wallpaper
catalogs and other novelty apps.

Google says no

Even though the Windows Phone Store is experiencing a rise in
developer interest, Google says it has no plans for making business apps
such as Gmail or Google Drive for Windows 8 or Window Phone, according
to a report by V3.
“We are very careful about where we invest and will go where the
users are but they are not on Windows Phone or Windows 8," Clay Bavor,
Google's product management director for Google Apps, told V3. So far,
Google has only released its search app for Windows Phone and Windows 8,
as well as a version of Chrome for Windows 8.
Google told PCWorld that "Our goal is to be able to offer our users a
seamless app experience across all platforms...We're always evaluating
different platforms, but have no detailed plans to share at this time."

While Google may blame user adoption for its reluctance to produce
apps for Windows Phone and Windows 8, the search giant has a history of
ignoring platforms other than its own Android mobile OS. Google famously
held back many Maps services from iOS such as turn-by-turn navigation
and real-time traffic conditions, prompting Apple to develop its own mapping solution. The search giant was also criticized for producing a very poor Gmail app for iOS in November 2011. Only recently has Google paid more serious attention to iOS with quality apps such as Google+, YouTube,Maps, and an improved version of Gmail.
Like Apple, Microsoft is also a major competitor to Google in the
mobile space with Windows Phone taking on Android. And Microsoft Office,
the most dominant office suite in use today, dwarfs the popularity of
Google Docs. So Google is hardly an honest broker of information when it
comes to Microsoft's platform.
But the future for Microsoft's new mobile and tablet-style efforts
are still unclear, so it's not unreasonable for some mobile app
developers to be taking a wait-and-see approach with Windows. Windows 8
is still in its infancy, and preliminary data suggest sales for Microsoft's PC/tablet OS are weak. The holiday shopping season, however, may change that.

Windows Phone 7 is widely acknowledged as a flop. But, similar to
Windows 8, it's still too early to judge whether Windows Phone 8 will
suffer the same fate as its predecessor. There are also speculative
indications that Windows Phone 8 may be getting a bump in user adoption
from the holiday shopping season, according to WMPoweruser.
More users or not, it seems Windows Phone fans hoping to find a wider
range of Google offerings in Microsoft's app stores will be
disappointed, at least for the foreseeable future.

~geniusses

Wednesday, 26 December 2012

41. Advanced menu options

If you need to run the command
prompt as an Administrator then your instant reaction will probably be
to reach for the Start menu. Before becoming annoyed a microsecond later
when you remember it's no longer there.

It's good to see that
Microsoft has provided a simple alternative, then - just click the File
menu in Explorer and click Open command prompt > Open command prompt
as administrator.

And while you're there, make note of the other
advanced new options also on that menu: you can open a new window in a
new process, open Explorer, and even delete your Recent Places and
Address Bar histories with a click.

42. Show all folders

The
default Windows 8 Explorer view doesn't show all the usual drives and
folders - Control Panel, Recycle Bin and so on - in the left-hand
navigation pane. It certainly keeps the display simple, and if you want
to see all your drives then you can just click Computer, but if you
prefer to see everything upfront then it only takes a moment. Click View
> Options, check 'Show all folders' and click OK.

43. Mount ISO files in Windows 8

Need
to take a closer look at an ISO file? Right-click it in Explorer, click
Mount and you can view it as a virtual drive, launch the files it
contains, or add more if you like.

44. Open new file types

If
you find a file type that none of your applications can handle, then
right-click on the file in Windows Explorer and choose Open With. You'll
see a 'Look for an app in the Store' option, which enables Windows 8
to use an automated search tool to find and highlight an app for you.

You can also click 'More Options' to see currently installed programs and apps that may be able to open the file.

45. Restart Explorer

If
Explorer locks up for some reason, then regaining control is now very
easy. No need to close the process any more: simply press Ctrl+Alt+Esc,
select Explorer in the list, click Restart and Windows 8 will handle the
rest.

46. VirtualBox error

The safest way to sample Windows 8 is to
install it on a VirtualBox virtual machine. It's fairly easy to set up,
there's no need to worry about partitioning or other issues, and if it
doesn't work for whatever reason (which is possible, it's a beta after
all) then you'll have lost nothing but a little time.

Or if that's no help, try updating your video drivers.

48. Performance problems

If
your Windows 8 system seems sluggish, the revamped Task Manager may be
able to offer some clues. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to take a look.

Click
'More Details'. The simplified Processes tab then reveals what's
currently using your CPU time, RAM, hard drive and network bandwidth.
(The more in-depth data available in previous Task Manager versions is
now accessible via the Details tab.)

The Performance tab gives you
a graphical view of resource use over the last few seconds, while the
App History dialog looks back over days or more to reveal which app is
the most resource-hungry.

And is your boot time slow? Click the
new Startup tab to see programs your system is launching when Windows
boots. The 'Startup impact' now shows how much of an effect each of
these has on your boot time; if you spot high impact programs you're
sure you don't need, then right-clicking them and selecting 'Disable'
will ensure they're not loaded next time.

Powerful though all this
is, if you can think of a reason to use the old Task Manager then it's
still accessible. Hold down the Windows key, press R, type TaskMGR and
press Enter to launch it. (Typing TM will launch the new version.)

49. Device Manager Events

If
you've got a driver or hardware-related problem with Windows 8, launch
Device Manager, browse to the relevant device, right-click it, select
Properties and click the new Events tab. If Windows has installed
drivers, related services or carried out other important actions on this
device then you'll now see them here, which is very useful when
troubleshooting.

50. Recovery options

Windows 8 has
performed well for us, but if you find it won't boot at some point then
you now have to press Shift+F8 during the launch process to access its
recovery tools.

Access the Troubleshoot menu, then Advanced
Options, and you'll be able to try the Automatic Repair tool, which may
fix your problems. No luck? The same menu enables you to use the last
System Restore point, tweak key Windows Startup settings, and even open a
command prompt if you'd like to troubleshoot your system manually.

If
that all seems like too much hassle then the Troubleshoot menu's option
to 'Refresh your PC' may be preferable, because it essentially
reinstalls Windows 8 but keeps your files, and will fix many issues.

But
if it doesn't then there's always the more drastic 'Reset your PC'
option, which removes all your files and installs a fresh new copy of
Windows 8.

You don't have to access these features from the boot
menu, of course. If Windows 8 starts but seems very unstable, then open
the new Recovery applet in Control Panel for easy access to the Refresh,
Reset and other disaster recovery features.

31. Virtual Machines

Install Windows 8 and you also get
Microsoft's Hyper-V, enabling you to create and run virtual machines (as
long as you're not running in a virtual machine already). Launch
OptionalFeatures.exe (press Windows Key and R and type it in to run),
check Hyper-V and click OK to enable the feature. Then switch back to
the Start screen, scroll to the right, find and click on the Hyper-V
Manager tile to begin exploring its capabilities.

32. Smart Searching

When
you're in the mood to track down new Windows 8 features relating to a
particular topic, you might be tempted to start by manually browsing
Control Panel for interesting applets - but there is a simpler way.

If
you'd like to know what's new in the area of storage, say, just press
Win+W to launch the Settings Search dialog, type "drive", and the system
will return a host of related options. That is, not just those with
"drive" in the name, but anything storage-related: BitLocker, Device
Manager, backup tools, disk cleanup, and interesting new features such
as Storage Spaces.

This Search feature isn't new, of course, but
it's easy to forget how useful this can be, especially when you're
trying to learn about a new operating system. So don't just carry out
specific searches, use the Apps search to look for general keywords such
as "privacy" or "performance", and you just might discover something
new.

33. Start screen background

If you'd like to change your
lock, user tile or start screen images then press Win + I, click 'Change
PC settings' and choose the Personalize option. Browse the various tabs
and you'll be able to choose alternative images or backgrounds in a
click or two.

And in theory you'll also be able to define apps
that will display their status on the lock screen, although the app must
specifically support this before it'll be accessible from your
Personalize settings.

34. Scheduled Maintenance

Windows 8 can run common
maintenance tasks - software updates, security scanning, system
diagnostics and more at a scheduled convenient time, which is good.

Unfortunately
it doesn't actually ask you what time is convenient, instead just
setting it to 3am and allowing the system to wake your computer (if
hardware and circumstances permit) to do its work. Which isn't so good.

To
change this, launch Control Panel, click System and Security >
Action Centre > Maintenance. You can now click 'Start maintenance' to
launch any outstanding tasks right now, while selecting 'Change
maintenance settings' enables you to choose a more convenient time, and
optionally disable the feature's ability to wake up your computer if
that's not required.

35. Picture password

Windows 8 enables you to create a
picture password, where you choose an image, then draw on it in a
combination of taps, lines and circles - only someone who can reproduce
this pattern will be able to log on. Select Win + I > More PC
Settings > Users > Create a Picture Password to give this a try.

36. Hibernate or Sleep

You won't necessarily see either
Hibernate or Sleep in the Windows 8 shutdown dialogs, but if that's a
problem then you may be able to restore them.

Launch the Control Panel Power Options applet (powercfg.cpl) and click 'Choose what the power buttons do' in the left-hand pane.

If
you see a 'Change settings that are currently unavailable' link, then
click it, and if Windows 8 detects that your PC supports Sleep and
Hibernate options then they'll be displayed here. Check the boxes next
to whatever you'd like to use, click Save Changes, and the new options
should now appear in your shutdown dialogs.

37. Simplify Search

By
default Windows 8 includes every bundled app in its Search results. If
you'll never want to use some of these - the Store app, say - then
select Win + I > Change PC Settings > > Search, choose which
apps you don't want included, and your search list will be more
manageable in future.

38. Touch keyboard

By default the
Touch keyboard will try to help you out by, for instance, playing sounds
as you type, capitalising the first letter of each sentence, adding a
period if you double-tap the spacebar, and more. If any of this gets in
your way, though, you can turn the relevant feature off: just go to Win +
I > Change PC Settings > General and customise the keyboard to
suit your needs.

39. Sync and privacy

One very useful
Windows 8 feature is its ability to synchronise your settings with other
PCs and devices. So if you've set up your new Windows Phone
device with your contacts, email details and so on, then use the same
Live account on Windows 8 and it'll import them for you: very
convenient.

Of course that may not always be a good idea. If
several people use a device then you may not want your website passwords
to be synced, for instance. In which case you'll want to hold down the
Windows key and press I, then click Change PC Settings > Sync Your
Settings and disable anything you'd rather not share.

40. Quick Access toolbar

This is customisable, too - click the arrow to the right of
the default buttons, in the Explorer window caption bar, and choose
whatever options you need. And you can include add any other ribbon
option on the Quick Access Toolbar by right-clicking it and selecting
Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

21. Log in automatically

WARNING: Your account will lose admin privileges as a result of this step

Of
course even if you remove the lock screen, you'll still be forced to
manually log in every time your system starts. This can also be resolved
at speed, though, using much the same technique as in previous versions
of Windows.

Clear the "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" box and click OK.

Enter
the user name and password of the account that you'd like to be logged
in automatically, click OK, restart your system and this time it should
boot directly to the Start screen.

22. Replacing the Start menu

If Windows 8's search and navigation tools still leave you pining for the regular Start menu, installing ViStart will replace it with something very similar.

Download
the program and install it, carefully; it's free, but the Setup program
will install the trial of a commercial Registry cleaner unless you
explicitly tell it otherwise.

But once that's out the way, your
old Start button will return in its regular place, and clicking it (or
pressing the Windows key) will bring back the usual Start menu complete
with search box and all the usual menus.

The program has a few flaws - on launch it gave us an e-mail icon for Outlook Express, for instance - but otherwise works well.

There's also Start8 from Windows customisation veterans Stardock. It provides similar functionality to ViStart but with a more up-to-date look.

23. Windows key shortcuts

Win : switch between the Start screen and the last-running Windows 8 app

Win + PrtSc : capture the current screen and save it to your Pictures folder

Win + Tab : switch between running apps

4. Launch programs fast

If you're a fan of keyboard shortcuts and don't like the idea of
scrolling through app tiles to find the program you need, don't worry,
Windows 8 still supports a useful old shortcut. Which is perfect if,
say, you're looking to be able to shut down your PC with a click.

Launch the desktop app, right-click an empty part of the desktop and click New > Shortcut.

Browse to the application you'd like to launch here. Of for the sake of this example, enter

shutdown.exe -s -t 00

to shut down your PC, or

shutdown.exe -h -t 00

Right-click
the shortcut, select Pin to Start and it should appear on the far right
of the Start screen - just drag the tile wherever you like.

25. Intelligent screengrabs

If
a Windows 8 application is showing something interesting and you'd like
to record it for posterity, then hold down the Windows key, press
PrtSc, and the image won't just go to the clipboard: it'll also be
automatically saved to your My Pictures folder with the name
Screenshot.png (and then Screenshot(1).png, Screenshot(2).png and so
on).

You might hope that pressing Win+Alt+PrtSc would similarly
save an image of the active window, but no, sadly not. Maybe next time.

26. Photo Viewer

Double-click
an image file within Explorer and it won't open in a Photo Viewer
window any more, at least not by default. Instead you'll be switched to
the full-screen Windows 8 Photos app - bad news if you thought you'd
escaped such hassles by using the desktop.

If you'd like to fix this, go to Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs and select Set your default programs.

Scroll down and click Windows Photo Viewer in the Programs list.

Finally,
click 'Set this program as default' if you'd like the Viewer to open
all the file types it can handle, or select the 'Choose default' options
if you prefer to specify which file types it should open. Click OK when
you're done.

27. SmartScreen

Windows 8 now uses Internet Explorer's
SmartScreen system-wide, checking downloaded files to ensure they're
safe. In general this is a good thing, but if you have any problems then
it can be tweaked.

Launch Control Panel, open the Action Centre
applet, and click Change Windows SmartScreen Settings in the left-hand
pane. Here you can keep the warning, but avoid the requirement for
administrator approval, or turn SmartScreen off altogether. Make your
choice and click OK to finish.

28. Windows 8 File History

Windows
8 includes an excellent File History feature, which can regularly and
automatically back up your libraries, desktop, contacts and favourites
to a second drive (even a USB flash drive - just connect it, and choose
'Configure this drive for backup using File History' from the menu).

To
set this up, go to Control Panel > System and Security > File
History. Click Exclude Folders to help define what you're saving,
Advanced Settings to choose the backup frequency, Change Drive to choose
the backup destination, and Turn On to enable the feature with your
settings.

And once it's been running for a while, you can check on
the history for any file in Explorer by selecting it, choosing the Home
tab and clicking History.

29. VHD - enhanced

Windows
7 added support for creating and attaching virtual hard drives in
Microsoft's VHD format. Now Windows 8 extends this with the new VHDX
format, which improves performance, extends the maximum file size from 2
to 16TB, and makes the format "more resilient to power failure events"
(so they shouldn't get corrupted as easily). Launch the Computer
Management Control Panel applet, choose Disk Management, and click
Actions > Create VHD to give the format a try.

30. Storage Spaces

If
you have multiple hard drives packed with data then you'll know that
managing them can be a hassle. But that's all about to change with a new
Windows 8 feature, Storage Spaces.

The idea is that you can take
all your hard drives, whether connected via USB, SATA or SAS (Serial
Attached SCSI), and add them to a storage pool. And you can then create
one or more spaces within this pool, formatting and accessing them as a
single drive, so you've only one drive letter to worry about.

What's
more, the technology can also maximise your performance by spreading
files across multiple drives (the system can then access each chunk
simultaneously). There's an option to mirror your files, too, so even if
one disk fails your data remains safe. And if your Storage Space begins
to fill up then just plug in another drive, add it to the pool and you
can carry on as before.

Yes, we know, this is just a
consumer-friendly take on RAID. But there's nothing wrong with that, and
it looks promising. If you'd like to read up on the technical details
then the official Windows 8 blog
has more, and you can then create and manage your drive pool from the
new Control Panel\System and Security 'Storage Spaces' applet.

Tuesday, 25 December 2012

11. Mastering Internet Explorer in Windows 8

Click the
Internet Explorer tile from the Start menu and you'll launch a
full-screen version without toolbars, menus or sidebars, which like so
much of Windows 8 may leave you initially feeling lost.

Right-click
an empty part of the page or flick your finger down from the top of the
screen, though, and you'll find options to create and switch between
tabs, as well as a Refresh button, a 'Find' tool and the ability to pin
an Internet shortcut to the Start page. Click the spanner icon and
select 'View on the desktop' to open the full desktop version of
Internet Explorer.

12. Run two apps side by side

Windows 8 apps are what Microsoft calls "immersive" applications, which
basically means they run full-screen - but there is a way to view two at
once. Swipe from the left and the last app you were using will turn
into a thumbnail; drop this and one app displays in a sidebar pane while
your current app takes the rest of the screen. And you can then swap
these by swiping again.

13. Spell check

Windows 8 apps all have spellcheck where relevant, which looks and works
much as it does in Microsoft Office. Make a mistake and a wavy red line
will appear below the offending word; tap or right-click this to see
suggested alternative words, or add the word to your own dictionary if
you prefer.

14. Run as Administrator

Some programs need
you to run them with Administrator rights before they'll work properly.
The old context menu isn't available for a pinned Start screen app, but
right-click one, and if it's appropriate for this app then you'll see a
Run As Administrator option.

15. Make a large app tile smaller

You'll
notice that some Windows 8 apps have small live tiles, while others
have larger tiles that take up the space of two tiles. Right-clicking on
a Windows 8 app's Start screen tile will display a few relevant
options. If this is one of the larger tiles, choosing 'Smaller' will cut
it down to half the size, freeing up some valuable Start screen real
estate.

16. Uninstall easily

If you want to hide an unused
app for now, select 'Unpin from Start'. The tile will disappear, but if
you change your mind then you can always add it again later. (Search
for the app, right-click it, select 'Pin to Start'.)

Or, if you're sure you'll never want to use an app again, choose 'Uninstall' to remove it entirely.

17. Apps and privacy

It
is worth keeping in mind that by default Windows 8 apps can use your
name, location and account picture. If you're not happy with that, it's
easily changed. Press Win+I, click More PC Settings, select Privacy and
click the relevant buttons to disable any details you'd rather not
share.

18. Administrative tools

Experienced
Windows users who spend much of their time in one advanced applet or
another are often a little annoyed to see their favourite tools buried
by Windows 8. Microsoft has paid at least some attention, though, and
there is a way to bring some of them back.

Open the Charm bar by
flicking your finger from the right-hand side of the screen and select
'Settings' then 'Tiles'. Change 'Show administrative tools' to 'Yes' and
click back on an empty part of the Start screen. And it's as simple as
that. Scroll to the right and you'll find a host of new tiles for
various key applets - Performance Monitor, Event Viewer, Task Scheduler,
Resource Monitor and more - ready to be accessed at a click.

19. Disable the lock screen

If you like your PC to boot just
as fast as possible then the new Windows 8 lock screen may not appeal.
Don't worry, though, if you'd like to ditch this then it only takes a
moment.

Launch GPEdit.msc (the Local Group Policy Editor) and
browse to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates >
Control Panel > Personalisation.

Restart and the lock screen will have gone.

If
you can't easily find GPEdit.msc by searching in the Start screen,
search for 'mmc', and then press Enter. On the File menu, click
'Add/Remove Snap-in', then in the 'Add or Remove Snap-ins' dialog box,
click 'Group Policy Object Editor', and then click 'Add'.

In the
'Select Group Policy Object' dialog box, click 'Browse'. Click 'This
Computer' to edit the Local Group Policy object, or click 'Users' to
edit Administrator, Non-Administrator, or per-user Local Group Policy
objects, then click 'Finish'.

20. Install anything

Most
mobile platforms recommend you only install apps from approved sources
to protect your security, and Windows 8 is the same: it'll only allow
you to install trusted (that is, digitally signed) apps from the Windows
store.

If this proves a problem, though, and you're willing to
take the security risk (because this isn't something to try unless
you're entirely sure it's safe), then the system can be configured to
run trusted apps from any source.

Using Windows 8 is rather Difficult...

Try these.. Some of the basic tricks which could be helpful...!!!

Windows 8 is finally here, and if you're used to previous versions of
Windows then you're going to notice that quite a bit has changed. In
fact, Windows has seen the biggest changes since the jump from Windows
3.1 to Windows 95.

Out goes the Start menu, in comes the new
touch-oriented Start screen, new apps, new interface conventions - even
experienced PC users may be left feeling a little lost.

Don't
despair, though, help is at hand with the following Windows 8 tutorial.
We've been investigating every part of Windows 8, uncovering many of its
most important tips and tricks, so read our guide and you'll soon be
equipped to get the most out of Microsoft's latest release.

1. Lock screen

Windows 8 opens on its lock screen, which looks pretty but unfortunately displays no clues about what to do next.It's all very straightforward, though. Just tap the space bar, spin the
mouse wheel or swipe upwards on a touch screen to reveal a regular login
screen with the user name you created during installation. Enter your
password to begin.

2. Basic navigation

Windows 8 launches with its new interface, all colourful tiles and
touch-friendly apps. And if you're using a tablet then it'll all be very
straightforward: just swipe left or right to scroll the screen, and tap
any tile of interest.

On a regular desktop, though, you might alternatively spin the mouse wheel to scroll backwards and forwards.

And
you can also use the keyboard. Press the Home or End keys to jump from
one end of your Start screen to the other, for instance, then use the
cursor keys to select a particular tile, tapping Enter to select it.
Press the Windows key to return to the Start screen; right-click (or
swipe down on) apps you don't need and select Unpin to remove them; and
drag and drop the other tiles around to organise them as you like.

3. App groups

The Start screen apps are initially displayed
in a fairly random order, but if you'd prefer a more organised life then
it's easy to sort them into custom groups.

You might drag People,
Mail, Messaging and Calendar over to the left-hand side, for instance,
to form a separate 'People' group. Click the 'minus' icon in the bottom
right corner of the screen to zoom out and you'll now find you can drag
and drop the new group (or any of the others) around as a block.

Right-click
within the block (while still zoomed out) and you'll also be able to
give the group a name, which - if you go on to add another 20 or 30 apps
to your Start screen - will make it much easier to find the tools you
need.

4. Quick access menu

Right-click in the bottom left corner
(or hold down the Windows key and press X) for a text-based menu that
provides easy access to lots of useful applets and features: Device
Manager, Control Panel, Explorer, the Search dialog and more.

5. Find your applications

The Win+X menu is useful, but no
substitute for the old Start menu as it doesn't provide access to your
applications. To find this, hold down the Windows key and press Q or
either right-click an empty part of the Start screen or swipe your
finger up from the bottom of the screen and select 'All Apps' to reveal a
scrolling list of all your installed applications. Browse the various
tiles to find what you need and click the relevant app to launch it.

6. Easy access

If there's an application you use all the time then you don't have to
access it via the search system. Pin it to the Start screen and it'll
be available at a click.

Start by typing part of the name of your
application. To access Control Panel, for instance, type 'Control'.
Right-click the 'Control Panel' tile on the Apps Search screen, and
click 'Pin to Start'. If you're using a touchscreen, press and hold the
icon, then flick down and select 'Pin to Start'.

Now press the
Windows key, scroll to the right and you'll see the Control Panel tile
at the far end. Drag and drop this over to the left somewhere if you'd
like it more easily accessible, then click the tile to open the desktop
along with the Control Panel window, and press the Windows key to return
you to the Start screen when you're done.

7. Shutting down

To shut Windows 8 down, just move the mouse
cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen, click the Settings icon
- or just hold down the Windows key and press I - and you'll see a
power button. Click this and choose 'Shut Down' or 'Restart'.

Some
of the tricks available in previous versions of Windows still apply.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, for instance, click the power button in the bottom
right-hand corner and you'll be presented with the same 'Shut Down' and
'Restart' options.

And if you're on the desktop, press Alt+F4 and
you'll be able to choose 'Shut Down', 'Restart', 'Sign Out' or 'Switch
User' options.

8. App bar

Windows 8 apps aim to be simpler than old-style
Windows applets, which means it's goodbye to menus, complex toolbars,
and many interface standards. There will usually be a few options
available on the App bar, though, so if you're unsure what to do then
either right-click an empty part of the screen, press Windows+Z or flick
your finger up from the bottom of the screen to take a closer look.

9. What's running?

If you launch a Windows 8 app, play with
it for a while, then press the Windows key you'll switch back to the
Start screen. Your app will remaining running, but as there's no taskbar
then you might be wondering how you'd ever find that out.

You could just press Alt+Tab, which shows you what's running just as it always has.

Holding
down the Windows key and pressing Tab displays a pane on the left-hand
side of the screen with your running apps. (To see this with the mouse,
move your cursor to the top left corner of the screen, wait until the
thumbnail of one app appears, then drag down.)

And of course you
can always press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to see all your running apps in the Task
Manager, if you don't mind (or actually need) the extra technical
detail.

10. Closing an app

Windows 8 apps don't have close buttons, but this isn't the issue you
might think. Apps are suspended when you switch to something else so
they're only a very minimal drain on your system, and if you need the
system resources then they'll automatically be shut down. (Their context
will be saved, of course, so on relaunching they'll carry on where you
left off.)

If you want to close down an app anyway, though, move
the mouse cursor up to the top of the screen. When it turns from the
regular mouse pointer to the icon of a hand, hold down the left mouse
button and drag it down the screen. Your app should shrink to a
thumbnail which you can drag off the screen to close it.

If that's too much hassle, then simply pressing Alt+F4 still works.

And
when all else fails then press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager,
right-click something in the Apps list and select End Task. Beware,
though, close something you shouldn't and it's easy to crash or lock up
your PC.

...

...

...

...

REMAINING 10 TRICKS IN NEXT POST..!

Battle of the Windows 8 Start Buttons

If the absence of a Start Menu button is keeping you from upgrading to Windows 8, you are in luck. There are tools available that will put the Start Menu into your Windows 8 desktop and these buttons don’t just have a familiar look-and-feel but they also mimic the functionality of the original Windows Start Menu.I tried about half a dozen Start buttons for Windows 8 from various developers and here are some recommendations on which ones you may use and which ones you should avoid.

Win8StartButton brings the best of both worlds. It adds a Start Menu button to your Windows 8 desktop but the layout is more like a compressed version of the Start Screen of Windows 8. When you open the Start Menu, the search box stays in focus so you can even type a few characters to quickly open any software program.I really liked this program (it makes you familiar with the start screen) but the only issue is that some of the options are written in German.

Start8 by Stardock is “the” best Start Menu alternative for Windows 8. It offers a polished and beautiful layout with support for search and one-click access to your My Documents, Pictures and other common folders.Also, if you aren’t a huge fan of the new tiles based Start Screen of Windows 8, you can configure Start8 such that it will boot your computer directly into the Desktop mode. A single user license is $5 though a 30-day trial is available.

Start Is Back is a still-in-development Start Menu button that looks very promising. You can customize the layout of the Start Button (including the Windows orb), there’s an option to boot directly into the desktop mode and you can even choose to completely disable the menus that appear when you hover your mouse in the corners of your Windows 8 desktop.Start Is Back is free at this time but that will change once it is out of beta.I also tested the Vi Orb Start Button and while it is an impressive clone of the Windows 7 menu, the software will add useless Registry Cleaner programs to your computer and may therefore be avoided.

Classic Shell was originally created to bring the Windows XP style classic menu to users who were confused with the new Start Menu designs of Windows Vista and Windows 7 (isn’t that a familiar story). The menu has since then been updated to support Windows 8.In addition to the regular desktop-based programs, you can also use the Classic Shell to directly access the modern (Metro) apps from the Start Menu itself. The programs is free and much reliable as it has been around for a very long time.To conclude, the $5 Start8 button from Stardock is your best bet or go with Classic Shell Menu if you are looking for a free alternative. That said, if you are new to Windows 8, play around with the system for about a week and you won’t really feel the need to have a Start Button as long as you have a dedicated Windows button on your keyboard.

Here are some of the most useful software utilities that you wish
were part of standard Windows. These tools are free, light-weight and
can be installed on all versions of Windows including the newer Window 8.

Eraser – When you delete a file in Windows, the contents of the file can still be recovered using other utilities. Eraser lets you permanently delete a file making recovery nearly impossible.

Unlocker
– If you are trying to delete a file (or folder) but unable to do so
because the “file is in use” by another program, just use Unlocker to
end all the locking processes.

ShellExView – As you install new programs, the contextual menu gets cluttered and confusing. With ShellExView, you can clean up the right-click menu and remove all the useless entries.

Everything – Windows includes powerful desktop search capabilities
but Everything goes one step further. It looks for files and folders
irrespective of their location (including temporary files and system
folders) and you can also use regular expressions in your search
queries.

Always on Top
– This tiny utility lets you easily keep any window on top of all other
windows on your desktop. For instance, you can answer your emails, work
on an Excel sheet while a YouTube video plays in the foreground.

SyncToy
– One of the most useful software utilities from Microsoft that lets
you keep different folders in sync with each other. You can configure it
with Windows Task Manager to run file synchronization jobs
automatically at custom intervals.

WinDirStat – Running out of space on Windows? WinDirStat helps you reclaim disk space by
creating a visual treemap of your entire hard disk where the area of
the colored rectangles is proportional to the size of the underlying
folders.

Double Killer – This is the only tool you need to get rid of all duplicate files on your computer including images and music files. It compares the file hash to identify duplicate files.

TCPView – It will list all the software programs (or processes) on your computer that are accessing the Internet including the IP addresses that they are connecting to. Ignore all the columns except Process, Remote Address and State.

Droplr
– This is the easiest way to upload your desktop files onto the web.
Droplr adds a new option to your Windows “Send to” menu and also places a
drop zone on the desktop. Any files that you place in the drop zone are
instantly upload and the public link is copied to the clipboard
automatically.

TinyGrab
– Press a hotkey to grab a quick screenshot of anything that’s on your
desktop screen and TinyGrab will put it online in a snap. The screen
captures will stay online forever until you remove them.

Mouse Borders – Another useful utility from Microsoft that lets you control multiple computers from the same keyboard and mouse. A better alternative to Synergy.

KatMouse -
You can scroll not-in-focus windows with the mouse wheel without
selecting the window. Originally written for Windows 2000 but works in
Windows 8 as well.

Mouse Jiggler
– You computer screen may enter the “sleep” mode if the mouse or the
keyboard is not used for a certain period of time. Mouse Jiggler keeps
your computer awake by “faking” mouse input thus letting you watch that
entire movie from a distance.

AltDrag
- It lets you move and resize windows without reaching the borders of a
window. Simply hold down the Alt key and then left-click to drag the
window or use right-click to resize the window.

ClipX
– When you copy anything to your Windows Clipboard, all the previous
content is overridden. ClipX preserves the clipboard history and lets
you access your previously copied items from the system tray.

RBTray
– Sometimes you want to hide windows instead of minimizing them to the
Windows task bar. RBTray lets you minimize any window to the system tray
by right clicking its minimize button.

MiniBin -
This puts the Recycle Bin right into your system tray so you don’t have
to minimize all your desktop windows to access the Bin icon. You can
also also empty the bin from the system tray.

GearMage – Running out of space in your web inbox. Use the Gearmage utility to find and download email attachments that meet your search criteria to the local drive.

MailStore – If you want offline access to your emails, use MailStore as it helps you download all your emails on the computer or even a USB drive.

MediaInfo -
If an audio or video file refuses to play on your computer, chances are
that the required codecs are missing on your system. MediaInfo will let
you know what codecs are required to play the media file.

DropIt – It is like an advanced file sorting utility
that will help you automatically copy or move files into relevant
folders based on their extensions, date and other criteria. In the case
of music files, you may even sort them by artists or album names.

Teracopy
– It takes forever to copy or move files from one folder to another and
if the operation is interrupted, you have to start from scratch.
Teracopy improves the file copying speed and offers a detailed report in
case of any errors.

Soluto
– It helps improve the boot-up time of your Windows PC by removing
unnecessary programs from the start-up routine and also delaying the
launch of certain programs.

Sizer
– It let you resize program windows to any fixed, predefined size.
Quite handy when you are capturing screenshots for documentation and
also for screencasting.

Safehouse Explorer – It is easy to misplace USB drives. Safehouse lets you quickly encrypt and password-protect data inside USB drives so others won’t be able to view your files and folders.

Monday, 24 December 2012

The tablet universe continues to grow with the upcoming Surface by
Microsoft and the new iPad with Retina Display (iPad 4), which was
launched today in retailers.

Undecided on which tablet to purchase, especially as the Holiday shopping season is set to begin?

The Microsoft Surface is very different to the iPad 4, but you'll decide which company has the upper hand.

Apple ipad 4..

Microsoft Surface

Body:

The Surface's frame features a length of 274.6mm, width of 172mm, and
a depth of 9.4mm. The iPad 4 has the same depth measurement but the
length stands at 241.2mm and a width of 185.7mm.

The iPad 4 also weighs less with 652grams (g) to the Surface's 680.4 g.

Display:

The screen size for the Surface is bigger, at 10.6-inches compared to the latest Apple tablet's 9.7-inches.

The pixel resolution of the Surface's screen is 1,366z768 with up to
148 pixels per image (ppi). The pixel resolution for the iPad 4 is
2,048x1,536 with 264 ppi.

Memory:

The iPad 4 offers internal storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB while the Surface only offers 32GB and 64 GB.

While the iPad 4 does not offer a card slot, the Surface accepts a microSD card for up to 64GB.

Wireless Connectivity:

The two tablets offer Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth version 4.0 with A2DP. The Surface is also available on Wi-Fi Direct.

Camera:

The cameras are very different. The Surface and iPad 4 offers
rear-and-front-facing cameras. However, the cameras on the Surface are
1.2-meapixels. The front-facing camera of the iPad 2 is also
1.2-megapixels but the rear-facing camera offers five-megapixels with
2,592x1,944 pixels.

Videos for the two Surface cameras are at 720p, while the
front-facing camera of the iPad 4 is also 720p, the rear-facing camera
records at 1080p.

Operating System:

The Surface features the Microsoft Windows RT operating system (OS), a
version of Windows 8. The iPad 4 features the iOS 6, however the latest
update iOS 6.0.1 is now available but likely not installed in the Apple
tablet.

Chipset/Processor:

The iPad 4 uses the new A6X chip, which runs twice as fast compared
to its predecessor A5X, according to Apple. The Surface uses the Nvidia
Tegra 3 T30, a quad-core processor that aims to deliver "unprecedented
performance in a wide range of mobile devices," according to Nvidia.

Battery Time:

The fourth generation of the iPad uses 11,560mAh, and can withstand
standby time of 720 hours to 10 hours talk time. The Surface uses 31.5
Wh and standby time stands up to 360 hours to eight hours for talk time.

The messages expire
after a set period of time, from 1 to 10 seconds, and cannot be
retrieved by either party again, making it perfect for sending salacious
images without leaving a trail.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera, like Nikon's S800c, is powered by Android. But where the Nikon
shooter was only Wi-Fi capable, the Galaxy also packs 3G SIM support.
In effect, this hybrid is not only a mid-level point-and-shoot, but it's
also a portable, internet-capable gizmo on which you can play casual
games, browse the web, and check your email.

Price- Rs 29,900

What we like

* The Galaxy Camera boasts of sturdy build quality. And its minimalist
design - with just three physical buttons - makes it seem modern.

* Photos in well lit environments have vibrant colours and look sharp. In particular, macro shots and portraits stand out with their fine detail and depth.

* Android and 3G support on the camera allows you to use apps like Instagram to edit and share your photos from the camera itself. Additionally, you can also upload full resolution images to online storage or albums should you choose to do so.

* Its large 4.8-inch screen makes the Galaxy Camera a very handy
Android device. Games like Angry Birds run well; web browsing is fast;
various video formats play well; and photo-editing apps run without
hiccups.

What we don't like

* There aren't any Android photo apps that can leverage
upon the advanced lens and optics of smart cameras like the Galaxy
Camera and Nikon S800c. Instagram and Pudding Camera, for instance,
downsize high-res photos to create lighter files for upload - and this
completely beats the purpose of having a 16-megapixel sensor at your
disposal.

* Poor battery life. When used with a 3G SIM, the device can shoot only around 100 images on a single charge.

* For a point-and-shoot camera, it is too big and heavy.

In conclusion

Whether this camera works for you depends on your buying motive. If you
want a point-and-shoot, you would be better off with similarly-specced
devices that retail at half the cost. In the same price band, you can
also buy entry-level mirrorless or DSLR cameras.

That said, if
you're looking for a shooter to upload images to Facebook as soon as you
click them, use fun photo apps on your pictures, or check emails and
play games between shots, you can't go wrong with this one. And of
course, the smart Galaxy Camera does give you some bragging rights..